special features

Beloved political reporter and groundbreaking journalist Gwen Ifill passed away early last week at the age of 61 following a private battle with uterine cancer. Ms. Ifill was well-known and respected for her coverage of the White House and national campaigns and for her work with The Washington Post, The New York Times, NBC, and PBS. [read more...]

Marianne Morton, Executive Director at Common Wealth Development, announced her retirement after 35 years working for the company. Morton began working at Common Wealth as a VISTA volunteer with the AmeriCorps program and was hired as permanent staff in 1983. From there, she rose through the ranks. [read more...]

Recently, some of SSFP's teen editors including Enjoyiana, Diamond, Dija, Sylvan, Jackie, and Leila gathered at the Chazen Museum of Art to view an exhibit on 20th Century sculpture. Our wonderful volunteer editor Jane Coleman planned the outing. Mary Brennan, a friend of the Free Press, greeted us as we entered; an experienced docent, Mary acted as our guide. As we walked up the stairs to the exhibit, Mary provided us with a little background. [read more...]

Recently, during a Simpson Street Free Press teen editor meeting, we were visited by a wonderful, high-achieving woman. We were lucky, and we quickly proceeded to pick her brain. Joan Collins has made a career of being a journalist, media consultant, and publicist. She started young. At age 11, she began her very own newspaper called The Neighborhood Chatterbox. [read more...]

After 39 years in business, the south side's beloved Badger Bowl is closing. Town Chairman Jim Campbell said the owners of the bowling alley and music venue decided to sell the property to a luxury car dealership, the Illinois-based Field Enterprises. [read more...]

Completing college is a milestone that improves quality of life and future earning potential. But for many graduating high school seniors, high tuition fees are a barrier to attending college. To help bridge the gap for lower-income students, Madison College (MATC) has launched the Scholars of Promise program. [read more...]

American Girl, the Middleton-based toy company and long-time friend of Simpson Street Free Press, recently signed a multi-year agreement with Scholastic, publisher and distributor of children’s books. [read more...]

Besides checking on your friends, what do you do on Facebook? Well, if you check the upper right corner of your screen, you will see one-eighth of the page devoted to “Trending News,” which supposedly shows a selection of the days' most popular stories. But a recent article in Gizmodo, revealed that this “Trending News” isn’t actually trending at all. Instead, Facebook hired a team of “news curators,” to handpick which stories “trend” each day. [read more...]

I have always been a big fan of music. In my free time, I enjoy listening to Latin pop, Bachata, Reggaetón, hip-hop, and salsa.
My dream is to become a professional singer just like Justin Bieber or Bob Marley. A couple weeks ago, I was at Simpson Street Free Press’ South Towne newsroom when I shared my dream with Mckenna, an assistant editor. She responded, “don’t quit your day job.” [read more...]

Simpson Street Free Press is known for hosting academic panels and events throughout the year. Especially vital to the Free Press curriculum is our “Women in Science, Math, and Technology” series. This April, two nuclear engineering students from University of Wisconsin-Madison’s American Nuclear Society (ANS) came to SSFP’s South Towne newsroom to deliver another event in this series. [read more...]

Every state treasures a legend, a story on which its reputation is built. Pennsylvania has Big Foot, Kentucky has a “portal to hell,” and Wisconsin has…underwater pyramids? Legend states that at the bottom of Rock Lake, a fishing hole east of Madison in the town of Lake Mills, lies ancient pyramids, a 200-foot-long figure made of rock, and ruins. [read more...]

2015. The year of Black Lives Matter, Caitlyn Jenner, same-sex marriage, and Rachel Dolezal. It seemed that with each passing month, 2015 continued to push, question, and challenge social norms and issues. [read more...]

FIFA is known as the most important name in the world of soccer. FIFA stands for Fédération International de Football Association. The FIFA world cup is one of the biggest sports events in the world. It is held every four years in a host country. The world cup is a big tournament where countries come together and compete. [read more...]

Recently, Simpson Street Free Press reporters ventured out of the City of Madison to Hubertus, WI. Excited and a little nervous, we headed out of the office on a horseback riding mission. We were a little uncertain about the weather, but we were determined to have an unforgettable field trip. [read more...]

Have you ever wondered what the inside of a technology company looks like and what goes on there? Recently, Simpson Street Free Press student reporters had the opportunity to visit Hardin Design and Development (HDD), a Madison software and application firm founded in 2008. Vice President and Co-founder of HDD Scott Resnick and HDD employee Anouson Bounket led us on a tour of the start-up company. We also had the chance to sit down with them and ask questions about what it’s like to work in the tech industry. [read more...]

I was recently accepted to “Conserve School,” an environmentally focused semester-long boarding school in Land O’ Lakes, Wisconsin. The application process was relatively easy compared to the hard part: waiting for an answer from the school. [read more...]

Even before the renovation, when the Goodman Library was just another block in the strip mall, my family and I have gone there to do everything from participating in movie nights, to finding a quiet corner and reading. [read more...]

It was a tranquil evening at the Free Press when editors Claire and Ben burst into the newsroom carrying freshly printed maps. The maps depicted the historical topography, or physical features, of the Mississippi river. [read more...]

Margaret Jenks, music teacher at Van Hise Elementary school, accepted the first Award for Excellence in Music Education from the Madison Symphony Orchestra earlier this Spring. Created in partnership with Ward-Brodt Music, this award recognizes a passionate, dedicated, and innovative educator who positively effects the lives of students. [read more...]

We recently made a trip to downtown Madison. Simpson Street Free Press writers, Lucy Ji, Alex Lee, and Helen Zhang, visited the City-Council Building looking for another piece of local history. What we found was a little-known treasure that is both history and art. [read more...]

Co-founder and owner of Isthmus Publishing Company is selling to the owners of Red Card Media, an off-campus meal-card program for students. In a post on the Isthmus website Thursday, Vince O’ Hern announced the sale to a group including Craig Bartlett, Jeff Haupt, and former Green Bay Packer, Mark Tauscher. [read more...]

If you’re searching for a natural place to visit this summer, consider a visit to the Stower Seven Lakes State Trail in central Wisconsin. The area attracts families, photographers and naturalists, serving as a place for family recreation, as well as an opportunity to observe the land's natural resources and unique wildlife. The 14-mile trail spans various forms of vegetation, including the often-rare lotus flower in some areas during the right time of year. [read more...]

One bird you might see while traveling around Wisconsin is the black-capped chickadee. Black-capped chickadees are mid-sized and stocky. They have white under parts and stripes of olive color on their sides. They also have a patch of feathers atop their head that resembles a black cap. Their wings are dark with broad white marks on the edges of their feathers. [read more...]

Dane Buy Local, a non-profit organization founded in 2004 to generate a sustainable local economy through education and collaboration, is participating in “Independents Week.” This seven-day campaign, spanning June 27 to July 7, honors community entrepreneurship and local business members. [read more...]

Hoping to garner support for the national "buy local" movement, Dane Buy Local and the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) have declared June 27 through July 7, 2014 “Independents Week.” This week-long national campaign will reflect on economic democracy, local entrepreneurship, diversity, and community. [read more...]

As we Simpson Street Free Press reporters walked through the doors of Wright Middle School, we were thrilled and nervous to meet the former assistant principal of Hamilton Middle School, Dr. Angie Crawford. We are both former students of hers when she was assistant principal. Walking down the wide halls, we noticed many artworks done by students. On one side of the hall, we noticed an article about President Obama visiting the school's library, which really impressed us. As we continued down the halls, we finally arrived at Dr. Crawford's new, larger office, where she sat waiting for us. [read more...]

It was a bright and beautiful Wednesday afternoon when fellow staff writers, Antoneah Armour, Pallav Regmi, Victor Lien and I, went to visit Mahon Antique Restorations. Located less than five minutes from our south side newsroom, our editor told us this would be a good story. We weren’t sure why. We were anticipating a lecture about furniture, but instead we found something much more fascinating. [read more...]

Downy woodpeckers are usually found in woodlands, parks, and gardens. They are found in Canada, Alaska, and all over the United States except the southwestern portion. These fascinating birds are native to Wisconsin. [read more...]

The red-breasted nuthatch, also known as an “upside-down bird,” is one of many birds native to Wisconsin. With its distinct black cap and pale rust-brown underparts, this attractive bird is commonly found on the branches, rather than on the trunks, of trees. [read more...]

Did you know that some great horned owls call Southern Wisconsin home? Woodlands, meadows, bogs, and deciduous forests are all suitable habitats for these owls. They are very large birds, with a wingspan longer than four feet. Great horned owls are also tall and can stand as much as two feet tall. [read more...]

Red-tailed hawks are often seen flying across the sky looking down on fields and farmlands in search of prey. They have white chests with dark streaks on their bellies, and reddish-orange fan-shaped tails. [read more...]

Ospreys have curved bills, fierce yellow eyes, and white heads with dark eye stripes. Their backs and wings are covered with dark brown feathers, and their breasts are white. This bird is found on all continents except for Antarctica, although in South America it seems to be a non-breeding migrant. [read more...]

Eastern screech owls are year-round residents of southern Wisconsin. They live in woodlands, suburban parks, and other natural nesting areas. These small owls can grow to be eight or nine inches long and can have a 20-inch wingspan. [read more...]

Grand falcons and majestic eagles live and fly all over North America. They awe us with their power and grace. But there are other unique birds in Wisconsin that are not as well known, but just as interesting. One of them is the American kestrel. [read more...]